‘Good man’ given a fond farewell

ONE of the most highly respected men in the district, particularly Catani and Pakenham, Wally Malcolm was farewelled at the Uniting Church, Pakenham on Wednesday 5 July.
Wallace George Malcolm died at Cooinda Lodge, Warragul on Sunday, 2 July, aged 96.
He was described in a family eulogy as ‘a good man’.
What more could you ask?
The eulogy said he was a good man, good to his wife and children, his community and his work.
These things were well known by those who recall the early days at Catani and hence.
He lived according to simple principles of hard work, care and contribution.
He was generous, good humoured and tolerant, disciplined and set a high standard.
In a marriage of nearly 67 years, he and Gladys were partners in all things, with some responsibilities separate and some shared.
In a kind of equality for their era they had equal access to bank accounts and car.
Their sons, Laurie, Cliff, and Phil were raised in the same spirit of freedom and responsibility, adventure and expectation.
Wally was born into a farming family and loved the industry.
He came to Catani from Port Fairy when a young boy, one of nine children.
His father wanted to grow potatoes and dairy cattle at Catani and wheat and sheep at Hopetoun.
The oldest sons went to Hopetoun, the youngest stayed at Catani and this meant Wal farmed through the great depression, two world wars, postwar immigration, economic expansion and remarkable changes in technology.
He worked through shifts from horse teams to tractors, small dairies to large, grabstacked hay to round hay bales, candles to electricity, dripping on his bread to butter, outdoor kitchens to the modern day kitchen.
Wally loved telling stories of horses, motorbikes and the past, but his eye was always on the future.
When he and Gladys moved to Pakenham in 1971 they quickly earned the respect of their new community and neighbours would speak in glowing terms of the couple.
He was ready to help where and when needed.
He left the farming business to make way for Laurie and Phil, but was always about to do whatever he could.
The eulogy said that for the next 30 years he would travel back and forth to the Catani farms where he drove tractors and did farm maintenance.
Throughout his life he was remarkably healthy and strong and never took a sick day until recently.
When aged 89, he and Gladys flew to South Africa for six weeks to visit Cliff, explore African townships, game reserves, farms and life after Apartheid.
Wally was deeply committed to his communities and worked for decades to help develop schools, churches, scout groups, football teams, hospitals and facilities.
He was on committees that built the Catani Scout Hall, the Lang Lang Swimming Pool, and the Kooweerup hospital.
He was elder, secretarytreasurer, maintenance man and stalwart of the Catani Uniting Church and elder and lawn keeper at Pakenham Uniting Church.
He was active in the Country Party, a good sport, and marked himself well as a young man in the Lang Lang Football Club, and as an older man in the Pakenham Bowls Club.
He was a member of the Masonic Lodge.
Despite his involvement in wider fields Wally Malcolm’s priority was his family.